1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a scale and debris removal and disposal system for cleaning well tubulars and similar pipe elements to remove mineral scale, including naturally occurring radioactive materials, and other debris and preparation of the material of the removal process for disposal such as by injection into a subterranean earth formation through a disposal well.
2. Background
In the operation and maintenance of oil and gas fields, it is often necessary to clean well tubes and pipes to remove the residue of the production of oil and gas and of certain fluids used in stimulating the production of subterranean fluids, such as tubes and pipes used in water flood or produced water processing and treatment systems. Many applications of oil field tubes and pipes as well as other tube and pipe elements result in the eventual build-up of mineral scale on the pipe interior and exterior surfaces.
In certain operations, such as the production of oil and gas, the mineral scale which has accumulated on tube and pipe surfaces may include naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). Although the intensity of radiation resulting from such scale build-up in tubes and pipes is generally considered non-hazardous, it is desirable to minimize contamination resulting from cleaning pipes and tubes which have mineral scale which includes naturally occurring radioactive materials. Since the cleaning operation and the processing of the residue or debris results in a concentration of NORM, it is even more important to minimize or prevent uncontrolled spreading and deposition of the cleaning fluid and the debris, including scale, which results from the cleaning and handling processes. The present invention has been developed with this problem in mind to provide a solution which results in a unique cleaning and disposal system and method for cleaning tubes and pipes, particularly those used in oil and gas field applications.